There has been increasing concern about violence, car jacking, and generally, the threat of firearms against people in motor vehicles. Vehicular occupants are particularly vulnerable to bodily injury or attack as a result of the relative ease of access to the occupant of a vehicle via the window of the door. Windows may easily be broken and provide little, if any, resistance to assault with a gun. This device provides a solution for the long felt need of an easy-to-use, low cost form of protection against these assaults.
Currently, an alternative for increasing the safety of a vehicle occupant is to have the motor vehicle bulletproofed by a professional service. This is reportedly an extremely expensive method requiring extensive modifications to the vehicle and costing tens of thousands of dollars. There are currently many materials and ways of achieving a bulletproof vehicle in the non-glass areas. However, the glass areas have few options for bulletproofing, principally, thick glass and glass/plastic laminates. Generally, these options are currently installed in two methods. One method is by splitting the vehicle's door and adding space to accommodate the thicker glass plus increasing the capacity of the electric motors required to raise and lower the heavier glass. This method is extremely expensive. The other method is laminating the extra thickness to the vehicle's window and not modifying the door. This leaves the vehicle's window in a permanently closed position. These options may be out of the financial range of the common person. Even law enforcement, which desperately needs protection, cannot reportedly afford the modifications.
In an aspect of the present invention, there are few, if any, devices available to restrain a child or family pet, such as a dog or cat, from exiting through an open window, other than a cage or container. For the safety and comfort of the child or pet, it is clearly beneficial to allow a constant flow of fresh air into the vehicle. Currently, the only choice for parents, or pet owners, who wish to bring safety and comfort to their children and/or pets; not confining them physically, or have concern about the amount of air flow, is to limit how far down the window is retracted; thus preventing the child or pet from exiting the window.
Automobile manufacturers are increasingly incorporating safety features into the design of automobiles, however, with respect to the windows on the automobile, the industry standard remains to simply use a window retracting into the door frame, sometimes limiting the distance of retraction. One safety feature that has been incorporated has been the use of a locking device activated by the driver that can be used to prevent passenger windows from being opened.
Cameron (U.S. Pat. No. 5,570,542) discloses a window insert that replaces, and is retained by, the vehicle's window. The window insert is fitted into the upper channel of the window frame and is retained in its place by the original window fitting into a groove running along the bottom of the insert. The window insert, because it is retained by the vehicle's window, is of limited use. The window cannot be rolled up when the insert is in place. Therefore, the driver is compelled to stop and remove the insert during inclement weather, or when it is desirable to reduce the flow of air through the insert. The bulletproof aspect of the window is more difficult to use as the insert needs extensive and complicated weather proofing to be used in any inclement weather.
Another system is discussed by Carson (U.S. Pat. No. 5,242,207). Carson discusses a vandal protective plastic sheet that requires four mounting brackets to be fastened with screws to the vehicle's window frame. This approach reportedly makes quick installation or removal impossible. However, these disclosures are unable to address the very difficult problem of year-round use in all types of weather and ease-of-use and installation. Accordingly, it would be essential for year round use to have an alternative window insert that allows the car's windows to be rolled up and down while the insert remains in place.
It is an object of the present invention to allow the car's windows to be rolled up and down while the insert remains in place.
It is another object of the present invention to allow installation or removal of the device in a short period of time.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an affordable alternative as it can be instantly used on different vehicles of the same model.
It is a further object of the present invention to utilize the relationship of the motor vehicle window to its weather stripping to provide insert support and retain the vehicle's original window weatherproofing.